Everybody knows it’s cooler in the mountains, so get out and explore them already. You don't need climbing gear or a Sherpa to scale tall peaks—just a thirst for adventure and, perhaps, a beer or two. Here are a few of my picks for an elevated summer.

As restaurant critic Ari LeVaux explains in this week’s Food section, IVB Canteen isn’t situated in some cutesy walkable community. “The only reason you’d be in the neighborhood is if you were lost or perhaps having some custom plastics manufactured nearby.” But a glass of Slow Down Brown and a brie-filled Frenchy sandwich are enticing reasons to slip out of work a few minutes early and onto Il Vicino Brewery Canteen’s lively patio.